The Coalition of Tai Solarin College of Education Staff (COTAS) has said that it would not allow the management of the institution to resume their official duties if their salaries and other benefits were not paid.

The Coalition Chairman, Comrade Daniel Aborisade, who dropped the hint at the Ogun State House of Assembly Complex in Abeokuta, the Ogun State, said they were at the complex on the invitation of the House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

He disclosed that while the invitation was apt, the Coalition was shocked at the stance of the Committee, saying that the Committee asked them to allow peace to reign in the institution despite the fact that they were being owed 30 months’ salary, 48 months’ arrears, stressing that the summation of both entitlements amounts to 54 months’ salaries/benefits.

Aborisade noted that the only way the coalition would allow normal academic activities to return to the institution was for the state government to pay at least 15 months out of the 30 months’ salary arrears being owed.

“As human beings, we know the money was not owed in a day, in our own way of allowing peace to reign, let the state government pay us at least half of the 30 months they owe us, then the normal academic activity can resume, its 15 months or nothing,” he said.

Aborisade added that the coalition had locked the management out of the campus, saying that the management had been told to see to the payment of their unpaid salaries.

“We have locked the provost and the bursar out to go and get our money and until they get a substantial part of our money paid, they won’t be allowed in, we would only take 15 months for academic activities to commence, nothing less,” he said.‎

Meanwhile, the Provost of the College, Dr. Lukmon Adeola Kiadese, has appealed to the coalition to sheathe their sword and embrace peace, so as to jointly move the college to the greater height.

Kiadese made the appeal at the House of Assembly Complex after the peaceful protest made by the coalition, noting that the present administration was aware of their predicaments ‎and ready to pay their arrears and another backlog of their salaries.

He added that it was not intentional to owe the workers, because it affected every other member of the College which includes, the Provost itself, Bursar, Registrar and others, promising to pay the money as soon as the subventions and others Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)‎ is remitted.

“Locking out of the Provost and other management boards of the campus cannot solve the problem of the institution except we resolve it to dialogue, we need to dialogue and resolve the matter amicably instead crying foes and exposing ourselves to the world through several publications of different stories,” Kiadese said.